Residential Living

Traditional Residence Halls – traditional residence halls offer a wonderful environment in which students can learn about the campus, get to know many other students, and share the residential living experience with their peers. Traditional residence halls consist primarily of double and triple rooms, with a limited number of singles and quads, and most students living in traditional residence halls will make use of shared, common bathrooms (that are specifically designated for either males or females ). Most first-year students will be assigned to traditional residence halls.

Contemporary Residence Halls – contemporary residence halls consist of quads, made up of two double rooms connected by a bathroom shared by the four residents.

Suite-Style Residence Hall – suite-style residence halls consist of two or four bedrooms, along with a common living area, a small kitchenette, and one or two bathrooms.

Change of Residence Room

Students who are interested in moving from their assigned room may request to be relocated to an open space in another room. Any proposed move must be discussed with, and approved by, the student's Area Coordinator and the Coordinator of Housing Operations. Room changes are not typically approved during the first two weeks of a semester, and the last two weeks of a semester.

Definition of Residency

A resident is defined as a student who has been assigned by Residential Life to a specific room in the residential system. Only the student(s) assigned to a given room have the right to reside in that room, and students may only reside in the room and building to which they have been assigned by Residential Life. The commitment to college housing includes mandatory participation in the college meal plan. Any visitor or guest who stays in a room for more than three nights in a seven day period will be defined as having established residency. Any student whose visitor or guest establishes residency will be subject to disciplinary action, as will any student who establishes residency in a room to which he/she has not been assigned.

Housing Options

Quiet Study- Students choosing to live in quiet/study housing agree to maintain a quiet environment conducive to studying. 24-hour quiet hours will be in effect between 7 p.m. on Sunday and 4 p.m. on Friday. Weekends will have a combination of quiet and courtesy hours. Quiet hours are those times when there will be no unreasonable noise. Courtesy hours are those times when excessive noise will not be allowed. At the time of this writing, the Quiet Study buildings for 2016-17 include: Mott House and Ordway House.

Wellness – Students choosing to live in the wellness house are committed to a healthy life style that will focus on balanced living in a variety of areas, including: nutrition, exercise, healthy relationships, and living substance-free. All students living in this community agree to refrain from the use of substances such as alcohol, tobacco products or other illicit drugs, at all times (in and out of the residence), and students will agree not to return to the community under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Guests in the house must abide by all community rules. Depending upon the interests of the residents, programming may include: presentations on the mind-body connection, yoga and exercise, stress reduction, and spirituality. Briggs House is the designated location for wellness housing.

Coeducational Housing – Students assigned to coeducational housing will live in a community of female and male students. Residential buildings will be coed either by wing, floor, quad or suite. All bathrooms are designated for either male or female use. At the time of this writing, coeducational buildings include: Arnow Campus Center, Bragdon Hall, Briggs House, Butterworth Hall, Chandler House, Cushing House, East Hall, Forest Hall, Haskell House, Hoag House, Holt Hall, Karandon House, Keever House, McClelland Hall, Mott House, North Hall, Pickard House, Rockwell Hall, Spence House, West Hall, and Woodland Hall.

All-Female Housing - Students assigned to all-female housing must accompany their male guests at all times. At the time of this writing all-female buildings include: Carpenter House, Case House, Gardner House, Hoag House, Saunders House, and Van Winkle Hall.

Gender Neutral: Gender neutral housing is a living environment where student housing is not limited to one gender. This housing choice provides options for transgender students in the process of discovering their gender identity; gay or bisexual students; students who feel uncomfortable rooming with members of the same sex; intersexed students who do not wish to be identified by any gender; and students who feel they would be more compatible with a roommate of a different gender. Gender neutral housing helps to create an environment that acknowledges, appreciates, and respects the diverse nature of the student body at Lasell College. Gender neutral housing is available on the first floor of East Hall.

"Dry" Buildings – Students residing in "dry" buildings are not permitted to be in possession of alcoholic beverages or empty alcohol containers. This guideline is applied equally to all residents of a "dry" building, regardless of the age of the student, and also applies to all students visiting these buildings. At the time of this writing, "dry" buildings include: Briggs House, Carpenter House, East Hall, Gardner House, Holt Hall, Keever, McClelland Hall, Mott House, North Hall, Ordway House, Rockwell Hall, Van Winkle Hall, West Hall, and Woodland Hall.

Housing During Break Periods

Although residence halls are closed during the winter and summer breaks, the Office of Residential Life provides a limited housing operation during both of the aforementioned break periods, for Lasell students who wish to reside in college residences.

The Break Housing program is designed to accommodate matriculated, registered Lasell students who are: involved in an activity directly related to their academic program (including credit-bearing internships or practica or clinicals); or are employed by the college or Lasell Village during the break period. Students who wish to apply to stay at Lasell during break periods must complete the appropriate Break Housing Application (available on-line via MyHousing on MyLasell). This form requires the student to provide a reason for the application: specific internship information, along with the signature of the related Department Chair; or specific information about on-campus employment, along with the signature of the related work supervisor; or special permission from the Director of Residential Life.

Students wishing to participate in the Break Housing program must be in good academic standing at the college; must be financially cleared by the Student Accounts Office; and must be in appropriate status with the College's Conduct System. The cost associated with Break Housing is the equivalent of $175 per week for a bed in a double, triple, or quad room, and $190 per week for a single room. Students must pay the full balance of their Break Housing costs in advance of their stay; specific requirements are described in full on the Break Housing Application.

For AY2016-17, students participating in the winter Break Housing program will stay in McClelland Hall; Haskell House may also be used for winter break housing if more space is required. It is not expected that the residents of McClelland Hall or Haskell House will vacate their rooms before leaving for the winter break; however, those residents will be required to strip their beds and leave their rooms in a condition that is habitable.

Students who have been given permission to live in Break Housing, must complete and sign a Break Housing Agreement. Students living in Break Housing will be expected to observe all college policies during their stay. The Agreement states that the college observes zero tolerance for policy violations during break periods, and reserves the right to withdraw housing at any time during the break, based on the conduct of the student. Students will be held responsible for any damage done to the room in which they are assigned and/or to the common areas of the building in which they are residing. Student meal plans are not in operation during winter and summer break periods. Students may have the opportunity to purchase meals on an a la carte basis at the Dining Hall when it is in operation. Students may cook in the residence hall if they observe all guidelines for keeping the kitchen clean, and for storing food appropriately.

Questions about the Break Housing program may be directed to the Office of Residential Life in the Office of Student Affairs, Edwards Student Center, 617-243-2124.

Policies and Procedures

The college reserves the right of members of the Student Affairs/Residential Life staff, the Campus Police staff, and the Plant Operations staff to enter rooms at any time deemed necessary for reasons of health, safety, maintenance and/or if there is reason to believe that a violation of college policy or local, state, or federal law is being committed.

Students are responsible for following all policies for residence outlined in this Handbook. Lasell reserves the right to terminate a student's privilege to live on campus if he/she violates hall policies and/or acceptable standards of community behavior. Lasell reserves the right to require counseling as a condition to remain in housing under certain circumstances.

Room Occupancy

The following opening and closing dates are in effect for the 2017-2018 academic year:

Fall opening date for new students:

Saturday, September 2, 2017 at 9 a.m.

Fall opening date for returning students:

Monday, September 4, 2017 at 9 a.m.

Fall semester closing date for all students:

Saturday, December 16, 2017 at 9 a.m.

Spring semester opening date:

Monday, January 15, 2018 at noon

Spring break closing date for all students:

Saturday, March 10, 2018 at noon

Spring break re-opening date for all students:

Sunday, March 18, 2018 at noon

Year-end closing date for most students:

Tuesday May 8, 2018 at noon

Year-end closing date for students who have paid to participate in Senior Week activities:

Saturday, May 12, 2018 at 5 p.m

Travel plans must be made to coincide with the established opening and closing dates of the housing system. Vacation periods (December 16th - January 15th and March 10th - 18th), students must vacate their assigned rooms. Only students who have applied for, and been given special permission to stay in residence, may remain in housing.

During college break periods, student meal plans are not in operation and the college shuttle system ceases operation. The residential buildings are closed during the winter and summer break periods. All students are expected to vacate their rooms 24 hours after their last exam. Students are not permitted to stay in residential buildings during vacation periods.

Graduating seniors wishing to stay in the residence halls prior to Commencement, must be paid participants of the Senior Week activities. During the Senior Week period, participants are not permitted to host guests, with the exception of other, paid, Senior Week participants. Seniors must be eligible for college housing to stay on campus during Senior Week. Any Senior Week participant who violates college policies during Senior Week, or is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, will likely be asked to vacate Senior Week housing.

Room Selection for Returning Students

Rooms are chosen in the spring in an on-line Room Selection process, on the basis of seniority (determined by the number of credit hours completed). In order to participate in the Room Selection process students must: pay their enrollment deposit for the upcoming academic year, to the Student Accounts Office by the established deadline; be pre-registered for a minimum of 12 credit hours for the fall semester; and have financial clearance. Part-time students may petition to live in on-campus housing; petitions must be done in writing, to the Director of Residential Life. More information is provided in the annual "Room Draw Booklet" which is distributed weeks prior to the date of the Room Draw process, and which is posted on My.Lasell.

Roommate Relationship

Sharing a room with one or more other students in a residential building can be a valuable learning experience regarding interpersonal communication and cooperation, and it can also be the basis upon which life-long friendships may be established.

New students have the opportunity to request specific roommates and share personal preferences for roommate matching when they complete their on-line Housing Application; returning students have the opportunity to choose their roommates during the on-line Room Selection process in the spring.

Making the roommate relationship a successful one requires all parties to be considerate and respectful of the belongings, preferences, and privacy of the individuals. At the beginning of each academic year, the Residential Life staff members encourage roommates to complete a "roommate contract" as a means of learning more about each person's likes, dislikes, and personal styles.

As the academic year progresses, should two or more roommates encounter some difficulty navigating the roommate relationship, the Resident Assistants and Area Coordinators are available to assist in mediation and conflict resolution. A last resort, when feasible, is a change in room assignment (see section entitled, "Change of Residence Room").

Resident students are expected to respect the privacy rights of their roommate(s), including the use of their belongings; they are also expected to understand that their roommate(s)' rights to privacy supersede their own opportunity to entertain visitors and guests in the room. Students who demonstrate through their behaviors that they do not respect the rights of their roommates may jeopardize their housing privileges and/or may be referred to the College's Conduct System.

At times in the academic year, vacancies may occur in a residential room. Whenever possible, the Office of Residential Life will attempt to give the roommate(s) who continue to reside in the room the opportunity to find another roommate to fill the vacancy. When this occurs, students will be given clear time limits during which they can identify a new roommate. If a new roommate cannot be identified, or if the allotted time frame established by Residential Life passes without the identification of a new roommate, the current resident(s) must accept a new roommate if someone is assigned to the room by Residential Life. Failure to do so, which includes the demonstration of behaviors that are purposefully "unwelcoming", will put the housing privileges of the current resident(s) in jeopardy.

Lasell reserves the right to make changes in room assignments as deemed necessary, and to consolidate vacancies in order to best utilize facilities.